Boot polishing machine



March 23, 1954 1 M, GLAUSER 2,672,635

BOOT POLISHING MACHINE Filed June 17, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 W4-wref JEAN-AJ. 624 H5152@ y @Mm/MNM y Patented Mar. 23, 1954 BOOT POLISHING MACHINE Jean Maurice Glauser, Thornton Heath, England i Application June 17, 1948, Serial N o. 33,508

1 Claims priority, application Great Britain June 20, 1947 1 Claim.

U This invention relates to cleaning and polishing machines of the kind in which an article to be cleaned or polished is held against a rotating cleaning or polishing member, and has a particular application in, although not restricted to, machines for cleaning boots and shoes.

According to this invention, in a cleaning and polishing machine of the kind referred to, the rotating member is adapted to be carried on an upright, driven spindle and tov be brought by downward axial movement into driving engagement with a co-operating member carried by the spindle and means are provided for lifting the rotating member out of driving engagement. In such an arrangement the weight of the member is suliicient to ensure engagement of a dog or the like with the co-operating member. Since the cleaning orY polishing member rotates about an unright axis, any flying particles will travel horizontally and not upwards thus minimizing riskvto the operator. It will be appreciated that, if desired, more than one driven spindle may be provided, so that a similar number of polishing or cleaning members are simultaneously available.

The aforesaid rotating member may be provided with a dog or the like at its lower end.

A pivoted lever is provided for lifting the rotating member out of engagement with the spindle. By lifting-said rotating member so that it ceasesv to be driven by the spindle, it may readily be removed from the spindle without the latter being stopped.

With this arrangement it is preferred that the spindle be tapered so that its diameter is smaller at the upper end. By this means, as ysoon as the rotating member is lifted, it is loose on the spindle and will not be rotated by reason of small particles of dirt jamming between it and the spindle.

The rotating member may comprise a. brush having bristles extending outwardly from the two valves of a cylindrical surface divided along an axial plane, which two halves are held together by two end plates so as to form a cylindrical brush.

Alternatively, for polishing, the rotating member may comprise a cylindrical element carrying a number of co-axial disc shaped pieces of leather or the like spaced axially along said cylindrical element by means of spacers. 1

There may be provided a suction device for extracting dust laden air from the region around the rotating member and means for filtering the dust from the stream of dust-laden air.

Means may be provided for directing the Z stream of ltered air into the region between the rotating member and the suction device so as to assist the withdrawal of particles of dust by the suction device.

The following is a description of two boot polishing machines constructed according to this invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

V,Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of boot polishing-machine;

Figure 2 is a partial vertical sectional view through a polishing member showing the construction thereof and how it ts on the drive spindle;

Figure 3 is a view from the underside of the device for lifting the cleaning or polishing member;

Figure 4 is a vertical section through another form of polishing member;

' Figure 5 is a vertical section through a brush for use with the machine;

, Figure 6 is a vertical section through the machine which is shown in Figure l and illustrates the air filter and -Fgure 7 is a perspective view of a second form of boot polishing machine.

Referring to Figures 1 and 6, the base of the machine is formed by a hollow base member I0 supported on three legs II and provided with raised side screens l2 which extend around the rear of the machine. A top cover plate I3 extends over the rearward part of the machine and covers an electric motor I4 which drives an impeller I5 of a suction fan situated in the base member I0. n arranged a double wall, the inner wall I6 being continuous and the outer wall l1 louvred, the space between the walls forming a duct which is extended to the fan I5.

On the upper surface of the base member I0, towards one side near the front there is arranged an upright spindle I8 which is driven from the fan motor I4' by a belt drive I9 inside the mem-A ber I0, the direction 'of rotation being such that the inner side of the spindle moves towards the wall Il in a counterclockwise direction looking downwardly on Figure 1 of the drawings.

v As shown in Figure 2 in which a polishing member is illustrated, the spindle I8 is tapered having the smaller diameter at the top and towards its lower end there is provided a pin 20 passing transversely through the spindle. The projecting ends of the pin are adapted to engage dogs 2| on a hollow cylindrical member 22 which fits over the spindle.

This cylindrical member 22 is arranged to carry In front of the motor I4 there isr coaxially a number of discs 23 of soft leather, e. g. chamois leather, which are spaced apart along the axis of the member 22 by suitable spacing pieces 24. When rotated about a vertical axis, the discs 23 extend horizontally due to the centrifugal force. These discs 23 may conveniently have a diameter'about two or three times that of the cylindrical member 22 on which they are carried. For a purpose to be described hereinafter, the lower end of the polishing member is provided with a circular bearing portion-25 which is integral with the hollow cylindrical member 22. The leather discs 23 and spacingpieces'fare made a press lit on the cylindrical member 22 and are clamped by a top clamp1'whichis`provided with a. threaded portion engaging an inter-- nal thread in the upper part of the cylindrical member 22. Other methods of xing the leather discs to the cylindrical member will be'readily apparent to those skilled in the art. It will be notedthat apolishing member so `constructed'is.

easily dismantled so thatthe leather discs'may bewashed.

When the polishing member is tn be used, itis slippedoverthe spindle withthe dogs 2| downwardssothat the weightof'the brushkeeps the dogs. in engagement with the driving pin 20. The weight is made suflicient that the dogs will engageithezpin when the spindle is rotating at its normal running speed. Theftaper on the spindle ensures `thatfxi-,hepolishing.member is a loose nt until it .is .seated 'andstherefore easily slipped overptherspindle. The `member 22st its upper and lower ends is made to tit closely on the spindlei so that ,thepolishingzmemher is 'firmly supported and-,does nct'` vibrate when `seatedin position.

:Forrchanging theipolishenaforked member 2l (Figure 3) is pivoted tothe base member l! so thatrthe tworarmslstraddle the spindle'l8 and bear against the aforementionedbearing portion 25. The iower'of the end capsy 3i is concealed bytthezpolishing material :30in the lower portion of Figure 4 of the drawings. The forked member 211s soipvoted that'by pressing a handle29 attached thereto, the polisingfmemberis -raised to move the ldogs 2l out of engagement with the driving pin 20, thus allowing the polishing member to stop rotating. Whenit is in the "raised positiomowing to the taper, the cylindrical member 22 is a loose nt .on the spindle I8 and'so the polishing member will noti be rotated byreason of stray; particles of Vdirt jamming between the spindleand theinner surface ofthe cylindrical memberf22.

-With thisv arrangement it has been foundy that the working-pressure applied kto the periphery of the-rotating memberfcauses an increase `ofrfriction at the point of contact ofzthe dog sulcient to prevent. the rotating member from being lifted off the driving spindle byfan upwardlmovement ofthevwork being handled. When this working pressure is removed, the rotating'member may readily be lifted 01T by the lever 21.

fAn alternative formof polishing member, illustrateddn Figure l comprises a tubular shaped member 30 of flexible'polishing material stretched across two end caps 3| carried by a hollow cylindrical member' 32 provided with Ydogs' Lio be constructed by mounting the bristles 34 so that they project outwardly from the two parts of a cylinder 35 which is divided axially into halves. These two parts are clamped together by circular end pieces 36, 31 carried on the cylindrical member 38 which has dogs 39 on its lower end. A brush of .this constructionis readily assembled or repaired since easy'access' is'provided to the part where the bristles are xed.

It will be seen that a boot or shoe may be held againstthe brush or polishing member and any particles of dirt will be thrown towards the louvre'dplatefiland sucked into the fan i5. The

dust ladenair coming our from the fan may be directed into a permeable bag attached externally -tofthe'- back of the' machine, which bag filters the @mand collects the dust. It is preferred, however, to direct the dust laden air, as shown in Figure 6, through a grating 40 into a filter 4l in the base member l0. The heavy particles of dirt drop downwards andare deposited in a removable portion 42-which is slidably carried by the guides I3. vThe filtered air is led out through a duct 44 and discharged'underneath the machine'at the front as indicated bythe arrow 45. On the'top of the base member ill at thefront of the machine there isprovided a nozzle 4S..adapted to direct a stream offair along theupper surface of thisbase member i towards the bach of the ina--r chine'thus-cleaningthe surface by' blowing dust and dirt into the radius o'iactionof thesuction. The stream of filtered air `canlbe directed through this.1 nozzle daby loweringthe valve'flap which is 'carriedcna pivotAB-and operated by the external lever v19. The'valveilap'l is connected by a, link with'a valve 5mn-the exhaust ductso thatopening of'the valve `dl'causes closure or partial-closure of the lvalve 5I. At theiend of 'a cleaning operationof'the machine the lever T49 is depressedlto directastream. of air` across the top of Vthebase:member 1.0 soiblowing the dust and dirt whichmay be lying on this surface intothe duct leading toithe impeller I 5.

.In Figure 17,' thereis shownan'other formrofithe machine in which the brush 52 is situated atene end'ofithe base' member `53 and the drive motor is contained .ina housing'lidfat .the other-end. Access 'sfor Avmzierating the :machine Yis from one sidefascreen 'beingprovided along the other side 'on lwhich is ?mounted 1a 'permeable kbag .56 through .which :theair :from the 'suction fan is exhausted. This fan4 is arranged inside .the ybase member 53 as in the previously described=embodi ment and the machine .operates iny a similar` manner.

:For cleaning .shoes several brushes are provided, "for instance; brushes' with stiff bristles 'for removing lmudand softer 'brushes for V applying the polish,fseparate brushesbeing used for polishes of different colour. The chamois leather polishers ldescribed:above-are'used inthe final stages for polishing lthe .shoes The r brushes or polishing membersv which are not in use may be :carried/on :the machinefas shown in Figure .7 or may bercarriedin. a special'holder` provided ena supporting table for the machine.

' 'lilthough5 the fembodiments Adescribedy are provided lwith-only one-spindle for carrying'` polishing orfcleaning 'members/it will be appreciated thattwo or more'such spindles'mayb'e provided.

I claim: l A

' In a' polishing vmachinaa base membenzan' upright spindle rotatably 'supported on the base member "and 4secured against laxial movement` means for driving thespindle. a removableworlzing member adapted to t freely over the spindle, drive transmitting means comprising cooperating elements on said Working member and said spindle adapted to be brought into driving engagement by downward movement of said working member and a lever pivoted on said base member and comprising a portion adapted to be moved upwardly into engagement with said Working member and a handle portion adapted to be depressed so that said Working member engaging portion will be moved into engagement with the Working member when the handle portion is depressed and said Working member Will be lifted to disengage said cooperating elements.

JEAN MAURICE GLAUSER.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Number 6 Name Date Freeman Oct. 3, 1899 Oliver Mar. 9, 1915 Murray Oict. 25, 1921 Van Meter Sept. 30, 1924 Swanson June 17, 1930 Gris Oct. 28, 1941 Nelson Apr. 7, 1942 Hamilton Aug. 7, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Switzerland Jan. 2, 1932 Germany June 27, 1912 Germany July 6, 1931 

